Cracked Soul
by Lovell Luka
Summary: Draco is hiding something. Harry finds out.


4th Year.

"Mmm... What do you want?" Draco hisses to the person, who has just intruded on his personal space, even though he doesn't know who it is.

"Oh... Malfoy," Potter pauses at his unusual discovery of Draco Malfoy, hiding alone under the bleachers of the quidditch pitch, "Sorry, I just saw something... I didn't know it was you."

Draco only grunts and doesn't bother to look up at Potter, he just buries his face deeper in his arms that are crossed atop his knees. Annoying little pest...

"Malfoy? You alrig-"

"Shove. Off. Now." Draco says slowly, very slowly.

Potter hesitates, Draco can hear the shallow breath coming from his nemesis. And Potter really should heed warning, but he thinks that Potter is too Gryffindor for his own good. Draco's seething with anguish and rage and if Potter has half an ounce of sense, he would leave, like Draco oh-so-directly just told him too. And Draco wishes he would, he can't bare to talk to anyone right now while he's feeling like this, but no such luck.

"Malfoy. Please, I'm concerned about you," Potter whispers just loud enough for Draco to hear.

If Draco couldn't feel the vein throbbing in his head before, he could now. With an angry, shallow laugh, Draco suddenly looks up into the startled eyes of Potter.

"Concerned?" Draco hisses, "You bloody, sodding, pretentious, foul prat!"

Potter's taken aback at Draco's overly-venemous words and he takes a visible step back as Draco rises to his feet. He looks nervous and, well, he should be.

"Malfoy... I'm sorry... I-I just-" Potter stammers.

"Save it! I don't need your pity!" Draco spits and turns away, sure that Potter's seen more than he should have, way more.

It's only the second day back after Christmas break, but in that time, Draco and Potter haven't seen each other once. Which Draco's sure Potter is surprised by, considering he wasn't even on the train. Not to mention, he hasn't been to the Great Hall to eat in all this time, with good reason. He stands on the walk, leaning on the railing, with his back to Potter, and he sighs as he overlooks the quidditch field. Draco knows it will do him no good to hide from Potter now, but he still prays that the little bugger will just get lost. Is that really too much to ask?

"Malfoy?" Potter says again.

Apparently so...

"Go. Away." Draco says, and curses himself to hell, as his voice cracks slightly against his will.

He can hear Potter take a step forward, moving closer, and he just hangs his head and shuts his eyes, forcing himself not to cry.

"Wha... What happened to you?" Potter asks quietly.

Draco starts to shake a bit as he struggles with his emotions. Anger, sadness, frustration, fear... panic.

"Why won't you leave?" Draco cries out, but does not move as pent-up tears finally escape.

"I'm concerned!" Potter says assertively, "And I have every reason to be."

"It's not your place..." Draco chokes out, as more tears come.

Potter seems to think this over as he remains silent for a long time and even when Draco's softly crying, still he doesn't speak. Instead, he walks up behind Draco and places a tentative hand on the other boy's shaking shoulder. And, shockingly enough, Draco doesn't shrug it off. He just stands stock still and allows Potter's hand to rest on his shoulder. He's not sure why he allows it though, maybe because he's secretly longing for comfort and the touch is so warm and gentle it gives him a small sense of peace. People usually don't touch him at all and if they do it's never like this.

"What happened to you?" Potter asks again.

Draco sucks in a deep breath of cold air. He thinks it all over and over again in his head. Maybe Potter is genuinely concerned, but how can he be? Draco is nothing important and Potter's already made it very clear that he doesn't like Draco in the least. Though something inside Draco wants to grasp onto this, whatever this is, and hold onto it forever. And without much more thought on the matter, Draco decides to spill his guts... even if it is to Potter.

"Can you keep a secret, Potter?"

Potter's hand tenses ever so slightly, and Draco can feel it, but says, "Yes."

Draco exhales slowly, "Okay. Well," he pauses, not really knowing exactly what to say, "my father... hit me."

Draco hears a gasp from behind him and the hand on his shoulder is gone in an instant. He can only guess that Potter's covering his mouth in horror, but he doesn't dare look; he's too ashamed to look Potter in the eye. Why? He's not sure. Some part of him actually believes that he deserves to be beaten, that Lucius in right, he's nothing but trash, and to speak ill of the situation is something to be ashamed of. Because Lucius is somehow doing him a favor... Draco doesn't even know what the truth is anymore. He just feels so dirty right now. He's just so lost in his morbid thoughts, that his mind doesn't register the arms that have wrapped themselves around his torso from behind, until it's far too late.

Unsure of what to do in this situation - one he's never been in before, mind you - he stands stock still as his heart thrummed erratically in his chest and panic sets in. He feels pressure against his shoulder blade, as if Potter's buried his face there and... oh cripes, what is that sound? Is Potter crying? There's a muffled whimpering sound coming from his back, coupled with sniffling. Potter is definitely crying. Fucking hell... this is just what he needs! Irritation gets the better of him - perhaps because he's still in panic mode or because he doesn't know how to handle a crying person that isn't himself - and he snaps at Potter.

"What the hell is wrong with you?"

Potter sniffles again, "I'm sad for you,"

And that shocks Draco. No one has ever been sad for him before. Draco can hardly wrap his mind around it. As he starts to turn around, Potter relinquishing his hold, Draco looks at Potter as if seeing him for the first time. Now his face is completely revealed and Potter can see it clearly. He looks horrified as he gazes at the dark-purple bruises that litter Draco's face and stand out against the porcelain skin.

"Oh, Malfoy..." Potter whispers, "We have to tell Dumbledore,"

"No! We can't!" Draco shouts and shakes his head angrily, "My father will find out,"

Potter places a reassuring hand on Draco's shoulder, "No, it'll be fine. I promise."

Draco continues to shake his head as tears roll down bruised cheeks. He can't go to anyone for help. It was already a huge mistake just telling Potter... He can't tell anyone else.

"Dumbledore will protect you," Potter says.

"No! You don't understand, Potter!" Draco yells, "He's threatened me. He'll know I told. He'll hunt me down-" Draco breaks off and drops to his knees, sobbing and frightened.

Potter sits down next to Draco, quiet and unable to think of anything to say, but he wishes he could because it's so wrong for someone to look so small.

"Please let me help you, Draco," Potter says at last.

Draco looks up, apparently startled by the use of his given name, and wipes his eyes.

"Y-You called me 'Draco'," he says.

Potter nods, "Yeah, I did."

They're silent for a moment, then Draco speaks.

"Why?"

Potter looked thoughtful for a second and then said, "Because that's what friends do."

Draco looks surprised, but he smiled and replied, "I see."

Potter smiles a bit and decidedly wraps an arm around Draco's shoulder, pulling him into a hug.

"Don't worry, Draco. I'll protect you from your father," Potter whispers, "because no one should be subjected to this."

And Draco feels like a weight has been lifted off his chest. To know that someone actually cares, that they're worried about his well-being, it just makes him feel less alone in the world. He wishes that they'd been friends years ago. Maybe they could have if he'd been less of a prat. And now, for the first time, he's grateful Potter didn't just leave him alone.

"Thank you, Harry. For everything," Draco says and hugs his new friend.

Harry smiles and hugs him tighter, "No problem, Draco."

~Fin~

DC: I don't own HP. Was sad... this resulted... Reviews are loved.

Bye lovelies, Until next time. :3


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